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Southwestern South Dakota

After completing my van tour I continue driving through the southeastern part of the park. I decide to spend a night in the park's southern campground and arrive just before nightfall. While registering for a campsite, I'm told there's going to be a presentation by the Park Service at 8:30pm about the Minuteman Missile. Minuteman Missle? Now, that seems a bit strange.

I find my campsite and park the van. I then start to wonder what the Minuteman Missile has to do with the Park Service. Curiosity gets my cat and I decide to check it out. On the way to the amphitheater I experience this beautiful sunset.

The presentation is given by Ranger Lovelace. He talks with passion about the Park Service's newest acquisition, a Minuteman Missile Launch Facility. The area to the north and northeast of Badlands National Park used to be filled to the gills with Minuteman Missiles. Since then they have all been deactivated, save one. One facility was not completely deactivated, rather, the government handed the keys over to the Park Service.

The Park Service currently provides tours of the missile site but you can't get into the bunker where the missileteers used to work because of safety concerns. There isn't an emergency exit, there is only one way in and out. For public safety it has been deemed off-limits. Major bummer!

After the presentation I return to the van and retired for the evening. Tomorrow will be a day of touring and hiking in the Badlands.

The Badlands Discovery Tour, as well as a little hiking, is on today's Badlands agenda. My photography will be limited again to the 26 shots on my second and last disposable 35mm camera. Yesterday it was a real challenge reigning back my picture snapping enthusiasm. I suspect today should be no different. This park is just way too photogenic to not feel the pain of forced moderation.

I arrive on time for the Discovery Tour and to my surprise I find Ranger Lovelace will be conducting the tour event. He's the same ranger who presented the Minuteman Missile slideshow presentation last evening at the campground amphitheater. I really enjoyed his presentation and am looking forward to taking the tour with him at the helm.

Ranger Lovelace commences the tour after about 7 people show up. He tells us how the Badlands were formed, which includes a hands-on lesson. After we all feel the formation he quizzes us on how the formations were formed. Audience participation, that is one of the teaching techniques he uses throughout the course of the tour.

I learn the formations are layers upon layers of brule clay and wormhole sandstone (first photo). Rain, falling upon the peaked formations, continually erodes the clay. The flowing water forms little vertical rivulets that wash clay sediment down the side-walls into small arteries of clay wash that flow downhill on the surface (second photo). As the arteries combine, they erode large troughs (third photo). As these large troughs combine their watery sediment, they erode gigantic troughs (fourth photo).